Mac's Back, Hawks Look Weary, The Pacific

• You just never know at boys state basketball. Undefeated, #1 ranked Des Moines Christian loses in the first round to a team with 11 losses, Kuemper Catholic. It's not unprecedented, but it doesn't happen much. Des Moines Christian ends the season 26-1.
• The 2-A shocker followed a 1-A day with no close games.
• Mike Holmgren always liked Seneca Wallace in Seattle. Holmgren's now in Cleveland, and Seneca's on his way. Holmgren trades for the former Cyclone, and hopefully Seneca gets a real shot at starting.
• I've said many times Greg McDermott was in no danger of losing his job---not yet---and Jamie Pollard publicly confirms that with a letter to Cyclone fans. The letter made a lot of points Cyclone fans know about what a solid citizen and all around good guy Mac is, but if he doesn't win more soon, it won't matter. Pollard knows that. McDermott knows that. You know that.
• Give Pollard the good timing award for sending the letter 36 hours after Iowa State had its most impressive win in the McDermott era, an OT shocker at #5 K-State. Nostradamus didn't see that one coming. It's too late to impact the season in any way, but it ends that ugly losing streak to ranked teams.
• The most impressive point from the upset is that the Cyclones haven't quit.
• Have the Hawkeyes quit? Their body language at Wisconsin and Minnesota looked like the Hawks just want this season out of its misery. Historic losses in both places.
• Three seasons in for Todd Lickliter, four for McDermott. There aren't signs of a turnaround in either place, though Iowa State isn't outright embarrassed on the road like Iowa has been several times.
• I watched a preview of HBO's The Pacific. It's from the same people who brought us the greatest miniseries in television history, Band of Brothers. (Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg --- who also teamed up for Saving Private Ryan, which was victim of the worst best picture decision in Oscar history. It lost to Shakespeare In Love. I know. Awful.) The Pacific is about the Pacific theater of World War II.
• I watched the Academy Awards. Things I liked: Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin hosting, George Clooney's scowl, Sandra Bullock's speech, Jeff Bridges' joy, Kathryn Bigelow's directing win (this woman is 59?!), Hurt Locker beating Avatar, Ben Stiller as one of the blue people...  Things I didn't like: The length, the pacing, WAY too much dancing, the hurried ending, Tom Hanks reading the best picture winner before we were ready, and putting Patrick Swayze first in the Memoriam (people were caught off guard and couldn't clap enough for Road House).
• My back hurts from driving through all the potholes on the way to work.
• Tana Goertz is writing a sharp blog here on whotv.com as the new Celebrity Apprentice begins. You can check out her first entry at http://tinyurl.com/ya4jzmp